


I'm Shattered Porcelain (glued back together again)

by HootHalycon



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Dissociation, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Soft Husbands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21623164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HootHalycon/pseuds/HootHalycon
Summary: The anniversary of a devastatingly memorable day comes around, and with it, the pain it conjured.
Relationships: Runaan/Ethari (The Dragon Prince), Runaan/Tinker | Necklace Elf (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 111





	I'm Shattered Porcelain (glued back together again)

**Author's Note:**

> two posts in under 48 hours you might ask?? well, i have a lot of wip's in my docs! enjoy!
> 
> \---
> 
> warnings for mentions and descriptions of dissociation!

June 1st. 

A normal day for most. It was a few weeks before the world greeted the season of summer, the warm weather a pleasure departure from the on and off again chill and rain from the moody beginnings of spring. The warm rays of sunshine brightened the faces of all the elves and magical creatures in Xadia as they enjoyed the encompassing joy the new month provided. 

For one moonshadow elf, however, the weeks leading up to this day served as a reminder of a deadly mission from the past. The growing hours of the long summer days were akin to the long hours spent in the dungeon, not knowing what time it was; all alone with nothing but his thoughts.

\---

Minutes passed as Ethari's concern grew. Their routine rarely changed; after getting up soon after him, his husband would greet him, still bundled up in a cocoon of blankets, stealing the warmth for as long as he could before leaning into the moonshadow elf, mumbling tiredly about how it was too early. 

Deciding that he couldn’t take the mystery anymore, he left the kitchen to begin his search. As the elf reached the top of the stairs, he was met with the familiar sight of the moonshadow elf’s white hair and blue eyes, which looked rather sad as they stared into the wall. 

“Runaan? What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled. Hearing no response, Ethari continued to make his way towards their bedroom. As he grew closer, he began to hear quiet sniffles, no doubt from the moonshadow elf; prompting him to move quicker. He approached his husband, watching as he turned away, embarrassed that he was seeing him like this.

“I-I’ll be out in a minute.” Runaan tried, desperately wanting for his husband to not see him so upset over seemingly nothing. Ethari refused, instead moving a gentle hand to his shoulder.

“What’s wrong, my love?” he asked again, voice gentle and sympathetic. 

Runaan broke under the always gentle and welcoming demeanor his husband always seemingly effortlessly held. It made his heart surge with emotion when he thought of all that love and devotion being directed towards him. It never failed to break his walls down even when he tried so hard to shield his pain away from others. 

The moonshadow elf turned to Ethari, falling into his shoulder as he wept freely, no longer holding back his pent up emotions. Ethari immediately reacted, wrapping his arms around the other’s sides, one hand soothingly rubbing his back in an effort to calm him and the other firmly grasping his side, anchoring him. 

“I’ve got you, my love. Let it all out.” he reaffirmed, trying his best to support him.

Runaan knew this day was coming, dreading it and what it might bring. Dark memories from being imprisoned occasionally resurfaced, more severely in the form of panic attacks and flashbacks, and less harshly as random, offhanded thoughts that could be easily shooed away. The first few flashbacks he experienced were awful, it was as if he was lost and trapped once again; completely losing control of himself and his fate. The harrowing isolation of being captured into the coin was mind numbingly terrifying. As soon as he had woken up, all of the feelings from that day had suddenly came flooding back. The moonshadow elf had woken up feeling oddly detached from his body, just as he had begun to feel once the dark mage had transferred his soul from the physical world to the tiny coin that laid on the dungeon floor. He panicked, unsure of whether or not his body and reality were real. He had woken up alone, which was usually fine, but at a time where everything began to feel unreal, it only made matters worse. After a few minutes of shakily trying to gather whether or not he was safe, he resigned himself to staring at the wall, feeling dejected as tears threatened to fall. He had given up, just as he had in the dungeon, and just as he did once again after hours of crying in the confines of the coin. 

His tears subsided after a few minutes, all the while being held and supported by Ethari, who had begun to piece together what the issue was, prompting him to reassure the other that he was safe and alive. Runaan pulled away, wiping his tears before Ethari gently stopped him, reaching forward and delicately wiping his tear stained face with the back of his hand. 

“Deep breaths.” he encouraged, gently taking his hand in his and giving a reassuring squeeze. The moonshadow elf nodded, inhaling deeply through his nose and then out, repeating the action until he felt grounded. He opened his eyes to find the craftsman smiling at him, his expression soft and proud. Runaan then returned the squeeze, his silent way of communicating that he was okay. 

"I think I can talk about it." he began. Ethari nodded, understanding, patiently waiting until he was comfortable enough to start. 

"Today marks one year since the incident." he began cautiously. "I could feel these emotions build up recently, and it seems they all grew more powerful today, on the same day I truly began to lose hope." Runaan looked away sadly, feeling the snares of pain and sorrow clutch at his heart once again. The moonshadow elf carefully held his face, moving him so they were facing each other once again, giving him a hopeful smile. Runaan shared a small smile before continuing. 

"And I woke up feeling like I did when I was put into the coin. I felt detached, confused, and like the things around me may not be real." he admitted. "It's never really happened, but I guess because it was on my mind, it took control." 

The moonshadow elf nodded sympathetically, heart breaking as his husband retold his scary experiences and of the pain he had to go through. He wished he could take it all away so that he never had to deal with it again. Someone such as him should never have to go through such trauma. 

"I understand. Is there any way I can help?" he offered. 

Runaan smiled again. "I'm not sure yet. I think having someone there to remind me I'm safe and the world around me is real is all I could ask for." he explained.

Ethari shared a knowing expression. "Will do." 

The moonshadow elf's blue eyes flickered with fondness and warmth, ever grateful for his husband's empathetic heart. He lifted their intertwined hands, pressing the back of Ethari's hand against his cheek before pressing a kiss there. 

"Thank you." he whispered against his skin. 

"No need." Ethari reaffirmed. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

The moonshadow elf then stood up, gently tugging on Runaan’s hand, silently communicating that they should begin their day, but leaving the decision up to him to gauge what he was comfortable with. Runaan accepted, quickly joining him by his side. They agree to have a normal, relaxed day at home, where the moonshadow elf could avoid triggers and not have to be away from his husband's side during this hard day.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on twitter @ hesbianamaya if you'd like :)


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